Aggregate win on Bardon Hill for Oadby Town

This pic was taken by 47 separate 'hoppers this evening. I suppose the stone throwing warning is needed when you are next to a massive quarry!

 

Hopperational details
Date & Venue	Wednesday 22 December 2011 at Bardon Close
Result	Bardon Hill 0 Oadby Town 2
Competition	East Midlands Counties League (Step 6)
Hopping	Venue #438 on the lifetime list
This match in one sentence
Oadby Town dominated but Bardon Hill’s good work in getting in level at the interval was undone by a 46th minute goal topped off by a very late penalty.
So what?
The impressive Oadby Town supporters will have been singing jolly songs all the way home – they are in 5th place, 12 points behind leaders Heanor Town, but, because of their cup runs, with four games in hand.  This is their first season in the league after their relegation from step 5.  Bardon Hill are securely in mid-table in what the programme calls a see-saw season.
Something random
A queue outside the turnstile 45 minutes before a step 6 fixture was a sure sign of a substantial hopping presence tonight as anxiety kicked in about the size of the programme print run.  In the words of one bemused local trying to get to the tea bar, “Where did this lot come from?”  Answers on a postcard.  An initial tea-flow crisis was soon solved and everyone was happy with their real mugs.  Love it.  The only sour note of the evening was the abuse handed out to a young lino – to be fair, his communication to the ref could have been more effective, but I don’t know where we are going collectively with behaviour towards officials in this game.
The drama unfolds
The Oadby Town supporters were in good voice from the start and fair play to them.  I think this is the first time I have heard such sustained singing for a step 6 fixture (and probably one of the biggest crowds for a league game too).  Their team took control but for much of the first half lacked the incisive final ball to break the deadlock.  Their #11, direct and pacy on the left wing, and their #2, a composed-beyond-his-years fullback, caught the eye.  My scene-setter clip is from about 15 minutes into the game. Five minutes later, Bardon Hill were lucky when the ball fell somewhere for their keeper to drop on it after it had been pinging about in the area.  Then #2 cut inside and his left-foot cross was met with a flying header by #6 in one of the best moves of the half.  Nevertheless, Bardon Hill held on well enough with good work from all their defenders and they got to the interval on level terms.  0-0 at half-time No doubt stirring words were spoken in both changing rooms during the break, and half of them came to nothing as Oadby Town took the lead straight after the restart.  Good work by #10 as he marauded into the area and reached the byline – he placed a pass back into space and #6, arriving like a steam train from midfield, really could not miss.  0-1 The game then settled into the same pattern – Oadby frequently looked like adding a second, but Bardon Hill got into opposition territory rather more and had several half-chances.  At this stage of the game, all three results were plausible.  Here’s a clip. Oadby’s second goal did not come until stoppage time.  #10 burst through from half-way and shrugged off a first attempted foul well outside the area.  He was then brought down in the box, said both ref and lino, though this was disputed by all and sundry.  Captain and #8, who had been shooting wide from various angles and distances in the preceding quarter-hour, made no mistake from the spot, as shown in the final clip. Good penalty.  Final score 0-2
Man-of-the-Match
Oadby Town’s #10 who made both goals.
A snippet from the programme
It’s a good step 6 programme but, it has to be said, in need of some catapostrophic correction on the Sponsors list of all places.  There are three no-nonsense and commendably honest match reports, and this snippet refers to an away defeat at Thurnby Nirvana. “Bardon’s see-saw season continued apace with a reversal of fortunes that all but rules them out of any chance of league honours this season.  The theme of the season was again repeated with numerous changes in personnel due to injury and lack of availability, and once again Bardon’s ability to ship soft goals was the order of the day … this defeat leaves the Bardon management with a lot of thinking to do.”
What I learned today
The ground is right next to a large quarry.  A quick look at the Aggregate Industries website inspired my post title and revealed that this is one of the biggest in the UK, here at the highest point in Leicestershire.  Nearby areas have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and apparently there are about 200 species of spider in the vicinity.  Always good to read about spiders on the world-wide web, somehow it feels right.
What Next?
Not sure whether I can get anything else in before Boxing Day, though I notice that the Sussex Leagues have some action on Friday and Saturday.  Hmmmm.  My PROVISIONAL Boxing Day double (subject to weather, health, hangover, checking KO times etc etc) is in the mystic East with Norwich United v Kirkley & Pakefield (11.00am) followed by King’s Lynn v Holbeach (3.00pm).

Late Night Lineup in Lenton Lane

Greenwood's pre-match huddle is clearly ineffective to the trained eye ...

The Holbrook huddle however, is a model of efficiency and economy, delivering optimal results

A non-league sunset to take your mind off the on-pitch arguments

Hopperational details
Date & Venue
Tuesday 23 August at Lenton Lane, Nottingham
Result
Greenwood Meadows 0 Holbrook Sports 2 (Campbell 13, Ejiofor 90)
Competition
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round Replay
Hopping
I am here, for my fifth FA Cup tie in consecutive days, because of the fall of a Toblerone.  Regular readers will understand, others may wish to see the final video clip in the previous blogpost.


This match in one sentence
Unlike the original match on Saturday, Holbrook managed to hold on to a lead through a forgettable second half before they added a second in stoppage time.


So what?
Holbrook Sports go on to play Louth Town in the next round of the competition.


A random invention that would have the same impact on my personal happiness and well-being as watching this match
A device to turn a stream of Higgs Bosons (which to be fair are rare but essentially useless) into Budweiser (in a small acknowledgement to this competition’s new sponsors and increasing the chances of forgetting this game quicker).  This may mean digging up large parts of France and Switzerland, but needs must.


The drama unfolds
Here’s a scene-setting clip.





The next two clips are from early in the game.  (I was to lose the will to live later.)  Holbrook were using #9 Emike Ejiofor as a target man, and he was very effective in the early stages.  They put several dangerous crosses into the box and had the better of the early exchanges.







Holbrook Sports took the lead by this aerial route as shown in this final clip.  The scorer is Paul Campbell, arriving from centre-back for the set piece.  1-0





The same player almost added a similar second after 21 minutes.  In the meantime, Greenwood Meadows had been trying to make their approaches with passes to feet and through the channels.  Their #5 (Mario? Sorry, can’t be sure) was having a good game at the back in a good contest against Ejiofor.  The best move of the match in open play so far came as a sweeping Greenwood move down the right involving numbers 10, 6 and 7, with the latter shooting narrowly wide.  The Holbrook keeper was called into action twice just before the interval.  A good one-handed save from a shot from midfield was followed soon after by an athletic but out-of-position one as the home side sought the equaliser.


Both sides were showing exasperation with the referee.  We had kicked-off five minutes late and potential stoppage time was mounting.  However, Holbrook’s manager Leigh Grant was lucky to escape dismissal.   His apologies and pats-on-the-back seemed to mollify the ref sufficiently after a loud outburst from the dugout.

0-1 at half-time


The second half started eventually at 8.53pm and I tried to take out insurance against extra-time and penalties.  The second half became very scrappy very quickly, with several stoppages for injury and a number of contested decisions.  The most disruptive example was a collision between Greenwood’s large #11 with Holbrook’s smaller #2.  I was no more than two metres away.  In accordance with conventional Newtonian physics and the conservation of linear momentum, the visiting full-back came off worse.  Other spectators nearby were claiming that the home player had used his elbow, while the players seemed to be more concerned by a raised foot.  A foul was given (I have no idea why) from which Holbrook nearly got a second.


I felt that the young lino on this side of the pitch was not given sufficient support by the referee.  However, for his part he also “bottled out” of reminding the ref about a technical error - he failed to make a player leave the pitch after physio treatment (which makes me wonder whether he’d given permission to come on).  All of this annoyed spectators and the players were increasingly wound up.  Ejiofor got away with a significant burst of lino abuse.


Stoppages, yellow cards and “little chats” with the ref mounted up.  I edged towards the exit in anticipation of a Le Mans style getaway from the car park.  Holbrook won a series of corners and used the bulk of Ejiofor to keep the ball.  He then got on the score sheet himself from one of these corners as we entered stoppage time.  We went on for a total of eight added minutes before the blessed relief of the final whistle at 9.46pm.  Final score 0-2


Man-of-the-Match
Emike Ejiofor of Holbrook Sports.


A snippet from the programme
There wasn’t one.


What I learned today
I’d still rather be watching this than the early rounds of the Carling Cup.


What Next?
Six FA Cup Ties in consecutive days will completed on Wednesday evening.  See Twitter feed @GrahamYapp for details in due course.

Hopping up Hopping Hill to Holbrook

A refreshment hut that would put many higher level clubs to shame!

Hopperational details
Date & Venue
Saturday 20 August 2011 at the O-Kra Ground, Shaw Lane
Result
Holbrook Sports 1 Greenwood Meadows 1
Competition
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round.  Both these sides ply their league trade at step 6 in the East Midlands Counties League
Hopping
See Friday’s post - I am here because a 3 of clubs appeared from a pack of cards selecting this as one of 27 Midlands ties. It’s random.  Holbrook Sports made a great first impression on this casual visitor.


This match in one sentence
Greenwood went in a goal down at the interval but got a deserved equaliser in the second half.


So what?
There will be a replay in midweek.


A random invention that would have the same impact on my personal happiness and well-being as watching this match
A small portable and safe-in-impact klaxon that Greenfield’s #8 could use to alert his teammates to his availability in space on the right wing.  I decided during the second half that the likelihood of him receiving a pass was inversely proportional to the volume of his calling.  This is bad news for any midfielder.  Perhaps it could use the same type of bleeping technology as is now fitted in the flags of the more upwardly mobile bleeping linos.


The drama unfolds
Holbrook’s keeper had more to do in the early stages of the game, although the saves required were pretty straightforward, as shown in my first scene-setter clip.





Holbrook (in blue) were playing down the slope in the first half and had half-chances of their own, like this one:





They took the lead in the 39th minute.  Midfielder Chris King burst through the centre and his shot took a wicked bounce up from the surface and ended up in the roof of the net.  1-0


Just before half-time, home defender #4 was called upon to make an excellent intervention to protect the lead.  1-0 at half-time


The next clip shows how Holbrook could have added a second.





Greenwood were also creating decent chances such as this one, denied by a good save.  The following clip shows the corner was wasted as #8 Karin Ibrahim was overcome by gravity at a critical moment.








The equaliser was therefore not unexpected, however, and it duly arrived after 61 minutes.  Midfielder Ibrahim gets the credit for the finish, getting himself in the right place at the right time.  1-1


Holbrook were denied a winner by a really excellent save from the visiting keeper as both sides tried for a decider.  The final two clips are from the end-to-end final minutes.  Greenwood probably shaded the second half in terms of creating chances, but in reality these two very similar sides cancelled each other out.  “Nowt between ‘em”, as they say in these here parts.








Final score 1-1


Man-of-the-Match
I’ll nominate Greenwood’s Karin Ibrahim for his involvement in the hinge-point of the game and for being generally threatening when going forward.  To be honest there were many others who gave similarly competent performances and picking one has been rather arbitrary.  (Acknowledgement to the East Midlands Counties League website for the scorers' names.)


A snippet from the programme

A quiz question (answer below):
WBA have won the FA Cup on five occasions.  Which other honour did the club achieve when they won it for the third time in 1931?










What I learned today
That one approach to this ground has a gorgeously appropriate name … and that, according to the club website, Holbrook will be missing two players today who are attending the V Festival (!)


What Next?
Malvern Town v Causeway United on Sunday afternoon in the same competition.  Not strictly random but the only game within reasonable distance of the ancestral home in West Bromwich where I have been this weekend. 




Quiz question answer: They won promotion from the second tier (then known as Division 2) and this is the only time that this “double” has been achieved.